Tito's, Anheuser-Busch and Others Are Now Manufacturing Branded Hand Sanitizer

Since everyone is (thankfully) taking hand-washing and sanitizing seriously right now, items like hand sanitizer are in high demand. There’s been a problem of panic-induced bulk-purchasing, though, and multiple promotional suppliers had to suspend hand sanitizer orders due to dwindling stock. Retail shelves are often bereft of hand sanitizer, too.

Here, faced with a dilemma, an unlikely source has emerged: Tito’s.

That’s right, Tito’s, the brand known for reasonably priced but pretty solid vodka, announced that it plans to make its own hand sanitizer.

Tito’s said it would initially roll out 24 tons of hand sanitizer and give away the bottles for free. This came on the heels of an announcement from Tito’s urging people not to try to make their own hand sanitizer out of vodka. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all.

While we advise that you cannot use our vodka as a hand sanitizer, our distillery has been working hard to get all of the pieces in place to begin production on 24 tons of hand sanitizer that adheres to industry and governmental guidance. Please see attached for more information. pic.twitter.com/c5pTzVOvv1

Tito’s, which is based in Austin, saw firsthand the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic on the hospitality, music and restaurant industries, and announced that it would donate money to different organizations.

Right now, Tito’s is working on the formula for its product (which is noticeably labeled as “hand cleanser” rather than “hand sanitizer) in cooperation with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Local distilleries, larger liquor brands (like the maker of Absolut Vodka) and others are making similar moves. Anheuser-Busch, for example, announced its own branded hand sanitizer:

We have a long history of supporting our communities and employees - this time is no different. That’s why we are using our supply and logistics network to begin producing and distributing bottles of hand sanitizer to accommodate the growing needs across the United States. pic.twitter.com/nqImcE5WJP

This is a great move for brands to tackle a situation head-on rather than wring their hands about it from a distance. While the move might circumvent the traditional supplier-distributor-end-buyer model (since these brands are manufacturing and distributing the bottles themselves), in the current times it's all hands on deck.